IPOH, March 12 ― Perak State Park Corporation (PSPC) general manager Mohd Shah Redza Hussein said it needs more time to curb illegal activities in Kinta Nature Park as it involves people's livelihood.
“The Kinta Nature Park was gazetted as a state park back in 2016 and only handed to PSPC on September, 2017. We have managed it slightly for over a year.
“However, the local community which started duck farms or vegetable farms, whether legally or illegally, has been operating for more than 30 years. It involves their livelihood, we can't simply chase them out,” he told Malay Mail.
Mohd Shah also points out that some of the farmers had obtained temporary occupation license (TOL) and so have been operating legally.
“We are currently engaging with them and it will take time for us to proceed to the next course of action as we have to consult with the Batu Gajah and Kampar district councils over the farmers' TOLs,” he added.
On March 7, a picture of a piece of cleared land with a fence around it was uploaded in the Save Kinta Nature Park Facebook page. The post claimed the land, which is about 200 metres from park's office, was cleared for farming.
The post also shared pictures of people catching fish using the net fishing method.
Mohd Shah said that a few fishermen had used the net fishing method to catch fish in the area despite it being prohibited.
“We admit there are still a few fishermen who use the net fishing method, but the number has dropped significantly since we took charge of the park.
“We only have two rangers to monitor the whole 404 hectares of land so our resources are also limited,” he said.
“Of course we can take action on the fishermen but that is not our focus as we want to build a good relationship with the local community as they also play a part in conserving the park.
“Furthermore, the fishermen are not doing it on a daily basis, only when they don't have enough money to make ends meet. We have to be fair to them as well. We hope the public and nature lovers will be patient so we can reach a win-win solution,” he said.
Kinta Nature Park is Perak’s third gazetted park. Located around 40 kilometres from Ipoh, the park is a haven for nature lovers and bird-watchers with over 150 bird species calling the park home.
